Breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold: four equal counts, following the lantern around the square. Choose a count that feels easy and press start.
Press start when you are ready
The number in the middle counts each second, so you can close your eyes and follow the optional tones instead.
Four seconds per side is the classic box: one round takes 16 seconds, under four breaths a minute. Most adults breathe roughly 12 to 20 times a minute at rest, so even this is a big slow-down. If the holds feel tight, drop to three; if four feels rushed, try five or six. Comfort matters more than the number. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy or short of breath.
Each tool has its own page. All of them work offline once the page has loaded.
Two free tools from elsewhere that help keep the rest of your screen time calm.
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Try the disposable browserIt is a gentle exercise for most people, but breath holds are not for everyone. If you are pregnant, have a heart or lung condition, or feel lightheaded, skip the holds and use an even or long-exhale rhythm on the guided patterns page instead, and ask your doctor if you are unsure.
Even three or four rounds can help you slow down. In a 2023 Stanford study, volunteers who did five minutes of breathwork a day for a month, box breathing among the exercises, reported a better mood; cyclic sighing helped most.
Yes. Time is measured from the clock rather than counted in steps, so the light is in the right place when you come back. While a session runs, the page also asks your phone to keep the screen on where the browser allows it.